User:Mianh/Brigadire Mian Hamid-Ud-Din, Author of book, LOOKING BACK

Brigadier Mian Hamid-Ud Din (October 24, 1923 - October 09, 2009), was an army officer of the Indian Army and later of the Pakistan Army. When India was partitioned in 1947, Brig. Hamid, opted for the Pakistan Army. His PA number is 657.

In the Pakistan Army, Brig. Hamid served under Pakistan's first and Second British Commander-in-Chiefs (C-in-C), General Sir Frank Messervy and General Douglas David Gracey. The last Pakistan Army Chief the Brig. served under was General Yahya Khan.

Interesting Fact

Brig. M. Hamid-Ud Din has the honor of the first Guard-of-Honor caution to his Company, he gave to the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and his battalion (7 Baluch, now 15 baluch - KAIKAI) has the greatest honor of all to raise the first Pakistani flag after Pakistan's Independence from India. For this reason the soldiers of 7 Baluch had exceptional love for the Quaid.

He is the author of a Book LOOKING BACK.

Early History

Brig. M. Hamid-Ud Din was born at Phillaur near Maghiyana in the Indian Punjab where his father was a law instructor in the Police Training Establishment. Originally, he belonged to a "small but a well-know village Baghicha Dheri (previously known as Surkh Dheri). He attended Islamia Collegiate High School, Peshawar and Islamia College, Peshawar; now Pakistan.

Character in the Making As a young child, his character in the making was influenced bu his teachers in Islamia Collegiate High School, Peshawar, Pakistan and his father. The teachers who influenced his character in high schools was Maulana Abdul Qadir, the Principle of Islamia Collegiate High School. The other two professors were Dr. Omar Haya Malik, the Principle of Islamia College and Professor M. A. Latif (MA, Oxon). In Looking Back, Brig. M. Hamid writes about Maulana Abdul Qadir, "In me he instilled the urge of perfection." All his teachers, the author writes, "Had fatherly affection for their students."

Authored, LOOKING BACK

The book was published in August 2006. The book is about the "autobiography of the author concerning his life from childhood to the end of his army career, dealing mostly with ware years of 1929-45 and the three wars fought by Pakistan against India as part of the effort to liberate the state of Jammu and Kashmir from India yoke." It deals with other salient topics, such as, the Rawalpndi Conspiracy, Z. A. Bhutto's role in secession of East Pakistan, Kargil, civil military relationship and his personal observations on the New World Order and America's and her minions role and impact on the world.

The Army Years

Brig. M. Hamid-UD din was commissioned in the Indian Army from Indian Military Academy Dehra Dun, India on June 21, 1942. Upon commission, he was posted to 5 Baluch Regiment (Jacob's Rifles). This officer was then under the age nineteen. Brig. Mian Hamid-Ud Din, "Served in South India and Italy during the war years of 1939-45 and held command and staff appointments at various levels." .

WWII, Italy

Shortly after his Commission, he disembarked Taranto, the Southern most tip of Italy and joined service with 3/5th Marhatta Light Infantry (MLI). Brig. was held back to join his his Baluch Battalion. He asked for an interview with the British Colonel and was given one. The young officer made two requests. First request, he wanted to be posted to Baluch battalion and the second request was that "I should be called to the front as soon as possible." Only his second request was granted

"Rome had fallen by now without a fight and the battle had moved well up North. The Americans were on the left,the Indian division in the centre and the British on the right. The 10th Infantry Division of which 3rd and 5th Marhatta were a part were fighting in the hilly terrain of the Apennine Range" .

Brig. then perhaps a Captain reported to "B" Echelon after a long drive to Rear HQ. There he met his 2IC Maj. Brown. He was a Scottish and upon learning that the Lt. a Pashtun, Maj. Brown remarked, "Oh, so you are the cut throat Pathan." Brown would frequently that remark and the Capt. and Maj. Brown "Developed mutual dislike to the extent of hatred." .

Capt. was ordered to report to Tactical Headquarter (Tac HQ) and there he met a tall slim man. This was Lt. Col. Cocksage, "of the Desert Petrol fame." and Lt. Col. Cocksage made Capt. his intelligence officer, until his Canadian intelligence officer Capt. Webb returned from leave. The Capt. had developed liking for Cocksage and the feeling was mutual. News came that Lt. Col. Cocksage had blew up his foot on a schew mine. This news, "but for me was a bolt from the blue." Lt. Col. Cocksage had true concern for his soldiers.

Lt. Col. Cocksage was taken to the rear and Maj. Brown took over command and Capt. was not need at Tac HQ!. Maj. Brown had designs to get rid of the Capt. and he was sent on "wild goose chase...all alone in the dark" to locate a battalion, which normally a "fighting patrol would have been sent after." After locating the battalion, Maj. Brown was the least interested in taking the report.

"Brown was not finished with me yet because I was still alive and a sore in his eyes. Some mines were to be laid along the Senio River in from of the forward companies. It was the job of a pioneer platoon...supervised by the forward company commanders, but I once again I was selected for the job...with either training or experience for the job." God had willed differently. Brown incompetence of command of battalion in battle caught up to him and he was replaced by a decent soft spoken Lt. Col. Mac-Mann of the FF Regiment. .

Lt. request to transfer to 4 Baluch within the same division was approved. By this time Americans had crossed River Po and one-third of Italy still remained to be occupied.

A note about Duce Banito Mussolini. "Whatever reputation Duce might had internationally, he had done a lot of good to Italy during his virtual dictatorship." .

World War II is over and back to India and Zhob HQ Leading a tribal lashkar into Kashmir Posted to 7 Baluch Staff College Course in Quetta Command of 7 Baluch DS Staff College June 1956 OTS Kohat to train officers Service in AK Battalion Join Services Staff College, Old Sarum, the United Kingdom GHQ as Deputy Director Military Training - B (DDMT-B) in a rank of Full Colonel Posting to East Pakistan in a rank of Brigadier as a Brigade Commander. Command in Rangpur Sector 1965 War between India and Pakistan Command 24 Brigade Sialkot and retired in 1971.

Pakistan Independence

Brig. Hamid wrote about the events that unfolded before partition of India and had first had account as he is from that era. Before WWII, he had heard of Quaid-e-Azam, but later he had developed passion about current affairs.

Author's Views

1. "Mountbatten who influenced Radcliffe to provide the Indian access to Kashmir by changing the Boundary Commission Award against the principles of partitions. Since then, lip service is being paid by the world community and no tangible steps have been taken to help solve the problem."

2. Bilateral negotiations, which are emphasized by super powers is the lip service and by negotiations India is not going to hand over Kashmir, for which it underwent three wars even though "India took this issue to the Security Council and accepted all the resolutions passed by it" to hold plebiscite. "Pundith Jawahirlal Nehru pledged in all his public statements to hold plebiscite, but later reneged on them all....."

3. Pakistan claimed Indian violation and wrote a letter to World bank that "difference had risen between India and Pakistan under Article IX(2)" of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. "The Baghlihar dam and the Kishanganga project launched by India should serve them" (meaning those Pakistanis who thinks they cannot liberate Kashmir from the Indian yoke), "as a reminder of the stakes involved. Under no circumstances can we afford to have India controlling our resources. Therefore, we must prepare for the worst." According to the Neutral Expert, Raymond Lafitte, Professor at the Federal Institute of technology of Lausanne, Switzerland, assigned by the World Bank, it found India in violation of two points. One, on the issue of "Pondage," section 5.5 and second, on the issue of the level of power intake, section 5.6.

4. "If we earnestly believe in the claim that today we are capable of defending our selves against India, then with a little more effort and preparation we should be able to go in as well and defeat them.......It would be a case of now or never. There would , no doubt, be total mutual destruction but when the deck is cleared, there would be no more Hindus left.....; however there would still be many Muslims who would occupy both Pakistan and India."

5. The author advises Pakistan of their vacillation in use of nuclear weapons. Therefore, in the author's view, Pakistan cannot deter India from violating any treaty, controlling Pakistan's resources, systematic annihilation of Kashmir's Muslim population or Indian contemplation that a conventional war always remains a possibility. Brig. write, "We have failed to take advantage of our nuclear deterrence while they (Indians) succeeded. Nuclear deterrence can be successful only if the contending forces have the will to use nuclear weapons pre-emptively and convince the opposing side that it has no option but to do so. Any thought, talk or effort of averting a nuclear holocaust by any side betrays its intentions, will and determination which convey a sense of fear and weakness to the other side. This is what happened to us. During Kargil conflict, Pakistan's initiative reflected "..Our will, forced the Indians to clamour for the international support to oust the Mujahideen from Kargil heights but no sooner did they discern vacillation in our intent due to our conflicting statements, their stand hardened. Vacillation reflects lack of confidence and weakness. The Indians may have been thus emboldened to impose a similar situation on us next time when they are fully prepared for it. If they are firm in their resolve to become a regional power and we are determined to defend our independence at all cost, another armed conflict between Pakistan and India at some date in the future is inevitable. We may have averted a nuclear holocaust this time at our own cost, it would be impossible next time. The sooner we confront India the better, because time is not in our favor.......But if we cannot avoid it and have to live in misery as a subservient state, we might as well make every one else around us miserable....needs a streak of madness in our leadership" I am not sure what streak of madness the leadership of the United States had during WWII, when it dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan? It was very calculated and one author reasoned with PERT Analysis in the text book I read in college. No one in the U.S. who were involved in launching the bomb, including pilots have stated on our History Chanel that they do not have any regrets of dropping the bombs on Japan. Can Pakistan not take the same view and do the same?

Character of a Soldier

Brig. M. Hamid-Ud Din was passionate about his duty to country. In this regard the author speaks of a soldier's character who had their commission from Sandhurst, UK. Through out the book, the author has referenced Sandhurst officers as, "He always kept professional interest above all else.....His likes and dislikes were based on professional competence......He was very loyal to his profession, at times even at his own expense. He did not believe in loyalty to individuals. He had no lobby, nor did he believe in lobbyism. In fact none of the officers, who had passed out from Sandhurst, believe in the practice. They were all individualistic, supportive of the system and loyal of their profession rather than to individuals. They were true soldiers and maintained balance and stability in the army while they were in service.......Had an aura around them. They inspired confidence by their mere presence. They had distinct personalities but their outlook was the same ......They had good of the country at the heart and expected every one else to be the same."

External links

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